MONTREAL — A Montreal-area man charged in a hit and run that killed a seven-year-old Ukrainian girl as she walked to school was granted bail Thursday.
Juan Manuel Becerra Garcia, 45, was released on a series of conditions that include not driving a motorized vehicle, putting up $2,000 and not contacting the family of the young victim, Maria Legenkovska.
Maria had arrived in Montreal this year with her mother, Galyna Legenkovska, brother and sister while her father stayed behind in Ukraine to fight against the Russian invasion.
The girl was struck Tuesday morning just east of downtown as she walked to school with her brother and sister. She died later that day in hospital.
Prosecutor Alexandre Gautier said the conditions placed on the accused, who has no previous criminal record, are in line with the evidence in the case.
Becerra Garcia had been detained since he turned himself in on Tuesday. He faces one count of failing to stop after an accident resulting in death, with the case returning on March 9, 2023. The police investigation into the fatal hit and run is ongoing.
Rev. Volodymyr Kouchnir, the head priest at Ste-Sophie Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Montreal, has been counselling the family since Maria's death. Kouchnir, who met the family upon their arrival in Canada earlier this year, described the mother's state as up and down.
"She is surrounded with the friends, you know, and I'm keeping contact with her all the time talking to her … trying to help spiritually … to keep her spirits up," Kouchnir said.
"She has to be strong … I know it's not easy for her during this period of time, but she has to keep in mind that she has two (other) kids that need a mother."
Kouchnir said plans for a funeral are on hold as the father is expected leave the front line and travel to Canada to attend. He said a funeral is unlikely before early next week. The mother has already decided Maria would be buried in Montreal.
Two online fundraisers — one organized by Galyna's employer and a separate one organized by the church — had raised in excess of $125,000 as of Thursday evening.
On Thursday, the City of Montreal announced new measures aimed at getting drivers to slow down at the intersection where Maria was killed. The city added oversized stop signs, narrowed the roadway, and there is an increase police presence.
Multiple calls were made to 911 at around 8:05 a.m. Tuesday about the collision on Parthenais Street, just east of downtown. Police said the driver left the scene before first responders arrived. Becerra Garcia turned himself in to a police station in Longueuil, Que., south of Montreal, early Tuesday afternoon.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 15, 2022.
Sidhartha Banerjee, The Canadian Press
